Steven Brust, Iorich. I actually read this in February and forgot to mention it in the monthly post, so ... fun but not terribly memorable, pretty typical Vlad novel. With lawyers and a look at the workings of the Draghaeran legal system, and no spectacular structural tricks.

C J Cherryh, IntruderIn which everyone moves back into their reclaimed and refurbished apartments, Cajeiri gets to pick his own furniture and adopts a pet, and Tabini has marital issues. Rather light and fluffy after the high drama of the last couple of Foreigner novels. C J Cherryh, Conspirator (r)C J Cherryh Deceiver (r)C J Cherryh Betrayer (r)

Iain M Banks, Surface DetailVery much a Culture novel, with the usual mix of spectacular set-pieces, exciting battles, and deep unpleasantness including an entire plot thread taking place in a particularly nasty artificial Hell. I had no trouble putting it down to read the Cherryh, but I did get back to it eventually and finished it.

M K Hobson, Native Star (e) I picked this up with absolutely no expectations other than that it had favourable buzz when it came out. It turned out to be a steampunkish fantasy romance set in a post-Civil-War America with magic; great fun, and as I am no longer in a position to get American e-books I will probably get the sequel in paperback.

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, The Tomorrow Log (e) Adventure in what is probably the Liaden universe, though with no particular points of overlap with the Liaden saga; is the technology undistinguishable from magic or the other way around? I never can tell. No cats but lots of cute mechanical spiders, and an ending that seems to leave room for more that I gather we're not going to get.

Jane Lindskold, Five Odd HonorsConclusion to the fantasy about a Chinese-themed pocket universe and a group in our own world descended from some of its exiled inhabitants. Engaging, and with a fairly satisfactory ending by the author's recent standards -- it took me a couple of days to spot the hole, and it wasn't a completely plot-destroying one. There seems to be room for more sequels.